


I'm Coming Home

by averypassionateperson



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mild Angst, broganes, its happy though i promise, the paladins are finally home, written pre-Krolia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-20 19:13:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14900372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/averypassionateperson/pseuds/averypassionateperson
Summary: Five lions, at long last, touch the ground on System X-9-Y: Earth. For the younger paladins, it has been nearly a year, for Shiro, almost two. But that doesn't matter anymore because, after everything they have been through, they are finally, finally home.





	1. Shiro

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Five days left until season six, and in honor of that, I will be posting a paladin a day.  
> Starting with our lovely space dad! Chapter dedication to the first person to guess whose next. 
> 
> Happy reading, and feel free to scream about season six with me :)

Shiro hesitated, gripping the edge of Black’s mouth. Allura halted rapidly, nearly crashing into him. 

“Shiro?”

His head fell. Allura’s mouth twisted in concern. “Shiro?”

His metal fist tightened. His strained voice trickled back through the cockpit.

“I’m fine. Head on out… I’ll be there in a minute.” 

Allura’s eyebrows furrowed, but she exited the mouth of the lion, squeezing his shoulder as she passed. She resisted the urge to shift into a human-like form as she looked over the foggy landscape that was her first view of Earth. Soft water droplets fell from the sky, coating the field they had landed on in silver. At the horizon, dark rectangles stood out, forming a tall cityscape. Behind the city was a vast span of water, reaching farther than even Allura’s Altean physiology could make out. It was easy to see why Lance missed home so much. It was beautiful.   
She became aware of Shiro’s presence next to her and glanced at him.

He was no longer wearing his armor, just the tight undershirt and the looser pants he favored during training. His face was tilted towards the sky, beads of water striking his pale skin. Rivulets ran off of the scar that cut across his face. She smiled. For all his strength, all his responsibility, he was still just a young man, enjoying the rain. He opened his eyes, turning to face her.

“Shall we?” Allura asked, still smiling. 

They began walking towards the city, still several motes away. The first few doboshes, Shiro just looked at everything, experiencing it as if in a dream. Then he began to speak, naming plants and wildlife, and talking of weather patterns and seasons. Allura sunk into his words, and for a while, nothing existed but her, Shiro, and the world he held onto so tightly. 

When they neared the city, his stories changed. He started to name people, events that had happened when he was just a child. Words flowed out of his mouth as easy as running water, and Allura began to know his father, proud, strong, and long dead, his mother, a picture of strength in motherhood, his grandfather, who fought in a war so great the earth itself trembled. He spoke of Keith too, and the pride that Keith had brought their grandfather that Keith would likely never learn about. 

Allura remembered the sharp look Shiro had given Keith when the red paladin offered to stay on the Castle of Lions, to keep watch. When Coran had pressed, the boy had claimed he had no family left. Shiro must have seen the confusion on her face because he explained what a foster family was, and how his grandfather took in Keith after Keith’s father disappeared. 

Allura wanted to question further, but they had reached the border of the city. There were So. Many. People. 

Humans in every size, shape, and skin color raced back and forth on two, three, and four-wheeled vehicles. Just above them, a few small hovercraft sped past, dodging outcroppings and dousing street vendors with smoke. It was Chaos, and yet every person knew their place in it.

Shiro laughed at Allura’s look of alarm. 

“It’s safe, I promise.” he grabbed her elbow and guided her through the throng. At one point, two oddly-dressed humans jumped out of the throng. One, whose skin tone was nearly the same as Allura’s, addressed her loudly.

“I ADORE your look!”

“It’s so bold” the other added, twirling her vibrant purple hair.

“Are you a trendsetter?” the first asked. Allura blanched, searching for a reply. Shiro smoothly came to her rescue. 

“Fifty thousand followers. She better be.” The two, who Allura gathered were female, turned their eyes toward Shiro. Their eyes changed from admiring to downright lascivious. 

Before they could say anything else, Allura walked away, tugging the blushing black paladin behind her. 

Shiro knew the route by heart. Doboshes later, the noise began to settle, and fewer people crowded the streets. The buildings became a little darker, older, less solid. A varga after they started out from the lion, they stood in front of a shorter, three-story building. 

All of the tension that had subsided since Shiro had left his lion seemed to return with a vengeance, tightening his shoulders and gritting his teeth. He squeezed his eyes shut, cutting off everything: his hopes, his fear, and Allura’s voice. As he coiled within himself, paralyzed to the bone, a soft purr echoed in his head. The Black Lion awoke in the corner of his mind, wrapping him in her quintessence and lending him the steel in her heart. 

Shiro straightened his spine, holding himself high with the pride of the Black paladin, and walked into the building.

The landlord, sitting in the lobby, opened his mouth to stop them, but the realization hit him like a blaster, and he fell back into his seat, muttering softly. Shiro didn’t notice, sweeping past him with military precision to the rickety stairs. At the second floor, a small child with ink-black hair stared at him with wide eyes.   
Shiro walked towards the end of the hall. Allura followed him, unsure if she was happy for him or worried out of her mind.

He reached a door, raising his fist to knock. There was a brief moment of hesitation, and Allura’s heart nearly burst. His visage softened, and he gently rapped on the door. A clear voice rang in a language that Allura didn’t understand, and Shiro sagged, bracing himself up against the doorframe.

Moments later, the door opened, obscured by Shiro’s bulk. A woman gasped. Something shattered. 

“Takashi?”

Allura felt as if her heart had been ripped out of her chest. Shiro fell to his knees.

“ _Mama._ ” he whispered, voice thick with emotion. “ _Tadaima_ ” 

_I’m home._


	2. Shiro

Shiro’s mother was a small woman, a head taller than her son on his knees. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She reached out, hesitant, as if Shiro would disappear before her eyes. 

“Takashi?” she whispered again, tripping over the syllables. Shiro bowed his head.

Mother embraced son, and Allura suddenly felt like an intruder. Shiro mumbled something in the other language that sounded like a confession.

Allura flushed. Nearly a year, and she had never heard him speak like that. Not just the unfamiliar language, but the raw feeling in his voice was beyond any understanding she had had of him, or any of the other paladins. It shook her to the core.

She was startled back to awareness when Shiro’s mother abruptly switched to English.

“No.” Mrs. Shirogane kneeled, grabbing her son’s hands. She didn’t flinch at the cool metal. “You did nothing.” 

Shiro looked down again.

“Mama, I-”

“Did you choose?” They locked eyes. “Did you choose to leave?” Shiro shook his head violently. Mrs. Shirogane nodded with finality. “You are here. That is the only thing that matters.”

Shiro nodded and stood. Allura was struck by the resemblance between the two of them. Not just their features, but the way they held themselves exuded reserved strength. It was the quality that made Shiro an excellent leader and companion to the Black Lion.

Allura shifted slightly, and Shiro seemed to remember that she was there. He practically leaped to her side.

“Mama, this is Princess Allura.” Shiro introduced. Allura noticed Mrs. Shirogane’s eyes widen imperceptibly. “She…” he faltered, clearly trying to decide how much to say. “She’s why we’re still alive.”

Allura cheeks tinted pink, but she stepped forward, giving a slight bow.

“It is an honor to meet you,” Allura said warmly. The slight woman returned the bow.

“Come in, come in.” The woman introduced herself as Atsuko Shirogane as they entered the apartment. 

It felt… empty. There were all of the necessary furnishings, but all seemed to be dull with age. Allura’s eyes were drawn to the one spot of color in the room. A table in the corner had two picture frames: one showed a serious, elderly man wearing a dark suit. The other- was that Shiro?

All of his hair was deep black, and his mouth was quirked up in a soft smile. He wore what appeared to be a military uniform. Below the frame was a silver medal in a box and a puffy, white flower. 

Allura stole a look at Shiro, who was staring at the pictures for a different reason.

Mrs. Shirogane put a hand on his shoulder. “Grandfather passed five months after you… left.”

Shiro nodded solemnly. He’d known it was likely. Grandfather had been sick for a long time. Hadn’t stopped him from teaching two boys how to be men.

Mrs. Shirogane began to busy herself in the small kitchen, pulling out three cups. Allura reached out, brushing up against Shiro’s side. His fingers skimmed over her wrist.

They sat at the stark table and Shiro began to ask his mother about the neighborhood. Two or three questions and Mrs. Shirogane began to happily gossip about Mrs. so-and-so’s restaurant, and how Mr. something-or-other’s grandmother was still in Japan, and all of the things that didn’t really matter unless nothing important was happening. 

Nearly a half hour later, when all three had cups of tea in their hands and smiles on their faces, Mrs. Shirogane settled back in her chair and sighed.

“What is it?” Shiro asked. She pursed her lips.

“I wish I had a way to let Keith know you are home.” Shiro and Allura glanced at each other, eyebrows furrowed. 

“He was distraught. We all were, but he’s always been so passionate. You two were so close. He took a semester off, you know. Tried his best to help your grandfather and I cope. He went back for the spring. He made it two months. Keith called me on your birthday, apologizing over and over. For what, I didn’t know, until a week later, when that kind woman, Professor Montgomery, called to check up on him.” she shook her head sadly. “He’d been expelled. I haven’t heard from him since.”

By this point, Allura had her hand over her mouth, horrified. Shiro leaned back, shaking his head.

“I’m going to kill him.”

“Takashi!” Mrs. Shirogane admonished. “We thought you were dead.”

Shiro stood up, completely blown away by the utter pig-headedness of his little brother.

“Mama-”

“I don’t even know if he’s okay, Takashi.”

“Mama-”

“He could be hurt, or-”

“Mama!”

Atsuko Shirogane pulled up short. She blinked at her son, who had started to pace.

“I cannot BELIEVE him,” Shiro mumbled.

Allura found this series of events much easier to swallow than Shiro apparently did.

“You have to admit,” she offered, “It is a very Keith thing to do.” 

The Black paladin swiveled to face her, eyes accusing. 

“You know Keith?” Atsuko Shirogane asked worriedly.

Allura and Shiro fell silent, glancing from each other to the increasingly agitated Mrs. Shirogane.

Allura chose her next words very carefully.

“Perhaps it would be time for an explanation of the past several phoebs.” 

Atsuko Shirogane’s eyebrow rose, bemused. Shiro sat back down.

“Don’t worry, it's not English” he reassured his mother. He mulled everything over in his head for a moment, deciding what to tell and where to start. Well, the starting point was pretty easy.

“Keith,” he said very pointedly. “Has known I was alive for about ten months. Because he’s been with me.” Mrs. Shirogane froze, reeling. “Do you remember, about ten months ago, those cadets that disappeared from the Garrison?” Shiro asked.

Atsuko nodded, and Shiro launched into the story that eventually would become the stuff of legend. His crash, the finding of the Blue Lion, meeting Allura and Coran. Voltron. Mrs. Shirogane took it all very well, up into the introduction of the Galra. The existence of an alien warrior race that her son had been at war with would be a bit of a shock for anyone. The hand covering her mouth began to shake. 

Shiro stopped his story immediately. “The rest doesn’t matter.” he leaned forward, grabbing her hands. “I’m home. We’re home. That’s the end of it.” 

Mrs. Shirogane nodded weakly.

“Is Keith here?” she asked, voice trembling. Shiro nodded, face drawn.

“He volunteered for guard duty at the castle,” Allura explained gently. “I can call him if you’d like.” 

Mrs. Shirogane murmured assent, and Allura left the room to call Keith.


	3. Keith

Keith paced back and forth in front of the large castle monitors. It was odd. Since the day they had stepped into the castle of lions, the monitors had been constantly decorated with the little splashes of red that indicated a nearby distress signal. Day and night, there were at least two or three red pulses, until three days ago, when Voltron had rescued a planet of tentacled monkey looking aliens from the very last Galran outpost. 

Keith had celebrated along with the rest of the team, knowing it was only a matter of time before another red dot called out to the Castle of Lions. 

It hadn’t. Three days and not one planet needed assistance. Logically, Keith knew that the war was over. The constant battle was done. But seeing the pure blue monitor sent a weird chill up Keith’s spine. 

Just for a moment, Keith saw the piercing, half animal, half machine gaze of Sendak reflecting in the monitors. He swore, whirling around.

Nothing. Just like the monitors.

He went to run a diagnostic test like Coran had shown him one sleepless night. Just as he leaned down to pop open the hatch below the console, the monitor flashed, and a picture of Princess Allura flashed across the screen.

Keith hit the answer* button. Princess Allura’s voice echoed through the wide space.

“Keith?” 

She didn’t seem alarmed. Keith sighed in relief.

“Hi.” 

The wavelengths across the screen bobbed up and down as Allura spoke.

“Is everything in the castle well?” she asked.

“Yup,” Keith ran his eyes over the blue screens. “It’s quiet.” 

Allura, bless her soul, got to the point quickly.

“Your mother wants to see you,” she stated.

Keith froze. See, normally, he would be doing anything he could to avoid thinking about Sendak’s invasion. But now, just outside of Earth’s atmosphere, Keith’s brain had latched onto his paranoia to avoid thinking about Earth.

Keith was a punk. He knew it, everybody else knew it. Foster parents knew it, the system knew it, teachers knew it. His flight instructors knew it. The only people who didn’t seem to get the memo were the Shiroganes. 

Keith’s mind flicked back to the day he had first met Takashi Shirogane.

 

Eight years old, brand new city. His new family didn’t give a quiznack, which is how he ended up running full sprint through San Francisco from their enraged son. Some jerk who Keith honestly couldn’t remember anything about other than his ridiculously huge ears, which, apparently, were a bad idea to mention. He’d already gotten clocked once, and Keith couldn’t breathe through his bleeding nose.

He had heard Dumbo coming up behind him, so he chanced a glance back.

BOOM. He fell, along with the person he had crashed into and their groceries. He wiped the blood off his nose with the back of his hand, nervously glancing at the person he had knocked over.

Fifteen-year-old Shiro had taken one look at him and decided to fight somebody. Fortunately, not Keith. 

After Keith’s tormentor ran away crying, Shiro had taken Keith back to his house. Atsuko, Shiro’s mother, and Akihide, Shiro’s grandfather, had barely laid eyes on the grocery-laden kid with blood dripping out of his nose before they too, decided that they were going to protect Keith. 

Keith had struggled, day after day, to be worthy of the love that Atsuko showed him, to follow every lesson that Akihide had drilled into the two boys. And for a while, he did okay. He stopped fighting, stopped talking back to teachers. He made it into the Garrison, which, God knows, was only thanks to Shiro’s relentlessness. 

And then Shiro disappeared and everything fell apart. At home, Keith did his best to help out Atsuko, especially as Akihide got sick. 

Keith wasn’t home when Akihide died. He was in the back of a cop car, for punching out the teeth of a guy who thought that it would be funny to make a joke about “pilot error.”

Failure after failure. Keith had closed himself off. When he went back to the Garrison for spring semester, it was fine, for a while. As long as Keith kept training, kept flying, kept working, he had it all under control. Until he didn’t.

Keith remembered making that call to Atsuko after he got kicked out. Remembered his guilt and shame. Remembered the concern in her voice. Remembered feeling so unworthy of it. Hanging up, and deciding to go home, to that lonely shack. 

Keith didn’t regret the decision to cut himself off from his foster mom. He genuinely believed she was better off without him. But the longer he spent in space, the more he wished he’d said goodbye. 

 

“Keith?” Allura’s voice shattered through his thoughts. “Keith, are you all right?” 

He shook his head. “Yeah. Uh, someone has to watch the castle.”

He hated how weak that excuse sounded, even to his own ears. 

“I’m going to call Coran, he can handle the castle on his own,” Allura said. Keith couldn’t think of another excuse to avoid the mess he had created for himself.

“Oh, okay.” 

Forty minutes later, Keith knocked on the door of the only place that felt like home. When Atsuko opened the door, she just looked at him. Keith felt like that eight-year-old kid again as her eyes filled up with tears. She smiled, and he knew, right then, that all was forgiven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> excuse me while I cry about Keith for a hundred years. written pre-krolia (and lotor, actually, huh), and I've always been very fond of the headcanon that Shiro's family either fostered or adopted Keith, and this snippet of backstory was born from that. Poor Mrs. Shirogane though, seriously.
> 
> once again, a dedication to the one who guesses what paladin is next, and feel free to pm me about season six cause IM DYING PEOPLE.
> 
> Four days.... we can do this


	4. Pidge

Pidge couldn’t stop fidgeting. Her laptop was in her lion, so she had a few scraps of wrecked Galra sentry that she kept putting together, then tearing apart in increasingly complicated ways. Her father made his way to the window, which, at the moment, showed a perfectly picturesque view of Earth, and began to talk meaninglessly.

Don’t get it wrong, Pidge was beyond excited. She had climbed on that roof for the sole purpose of coming home with her father and brother, and she had. But, looking at the difficulty her dad had in getting to the window sucked most of the joy out of their return.

Matt shifted beside her, and she knew he noticed too. In the two years Dad had spent in a work camp, he’d broken both his ankles, dislocated his right wrist, and thrown out his back at least four times. That they knew of. It was disheartening seeing someone she had always looked up to struggle to get up from the table.

Still, it wasn’t like they had escaped unscathed either. Pidge was fortunate that they had the healing pods on the castle, so she barely had a mark.

Matt, on the other hand, had two huge scars. One across his face, and the other on the stump of what used to be his right leg. It was now metal, starting just below the knee. Matt had told them he lost it in a crash during a space battle, but Pidge knew he was lying. She would have lied too. Shiro didn’t need that on his conscience too.

“How long until we reach Earth?” Sam Holt asked Allura and Coran.

The mustached Altean looked up. 

“We should be reaching Earth’s atmosphere within a couple of doboshes, and then it’s just a few ticks to the surface,” Coran said smartly.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Allura pointed out. “We may alarm Earth’s governing body if we approach without invitation.”

The paladins, plus Matt, began to snicker. At Allura and Coran’s twin looks of confusion, Sam explained:

“Alarm, yes,” Sam shrugged. “Get us shot out of the sky, also likely.” 

The Alteans blanched, and Commander Holt joined the younger humans in laughter. 

“We can take the lions.” Pidge offered. “If we approach with cloaking, we can all split up to our homes.” she paused. “I’m assuming we all don’t live in Arizona?”

The other paladins shook their head.

“We’re in San Diego,” Lance said, throwing his arm around Hunk.

“San Francisco,” Shiro said. Next to him, Keith nodded in agreement. Coran and Allura deflated slightly.

“It is a pity,” Coran said.

“We would have loved to meet the families you all have talked about so much” Allura admitted.

Everyone missed the longing look she sent towards Shiro. Except for Matt, who hid a smile. They were perfect for each other, even if they refused to admit it. 

After a bit of negotiating, it was decided that Keith would stay back to keep the castle running, and Allura and Coran would go with Shiro and Lance, respectively. 

As they headed to the hangers, Pidge made a mental note to figure out why Shiro was the only person who seemed upset at the decision.

She ran up to her lion, family close behind. Green’s presence curled around her like a warm hug. She sent a vaguely questioning feeling towards Pidge. In response, Pidge mentally brought up an image of her mom, and the house she had lived in for most of her life. The Green Lion understood immediately. Home.

Green uncurled, opening her mouth to allow entrance to the cockpit. Pidge became aware of her dad and Matt behind her, gaping at her lion.

“I don’t think I will ever not be amazed by this creature,” Dad said, in awe.

“I sure haven’t.” Matt quipped. Pidge could feel the pride radiating out of each of their smiles as they climbed into the lion’s mouth.

The closer they got to Earth’s surface, the lighter the mood got. 

“What do you think Mom’s face is gonna be when she sees us?” Matt asked lightheartedly.  
“She’s gonna be ecstatic to see you guys,” Pidge replied. “She’s gonna wanna send me back to space, minus my lion.” 

The Holts laughed. 

“You know your mother.” Sam pulled his eyes away from the approaching planet. “She’s going to hesitate, and then-” He pulled his hands up towards his face, then shook them in a comical, excited gesture that they had seen their mother make a thousand times. 

Matt and Pidge dissolved into laughter. 

“Then she’s gonna tear up, but pretend she’s not crying, and do that fist pump thing she does when she won a case.” Matt got out through the laughter. 

Pidge nodded. Colleen Holt had been a killer lawyer before she had kids. Some of her coworkers used to joke that the one thing she couldn’t prove in court was that she had lost a case. 

Sam sighed. “I can’t wait to see her.” 

A shadow fell over his face. The mood became solemn, and Pidge turned around to take the controls to land just outside Paradise Valley, Arizona. 

The Holt house was near the edge of town, something Pidge was now immensely grateful for, because it only took a few minutes for them to make it to their own backyard.

The grass was shriveled and brown, but the small vegetable garden seemed to be as healthy as the day they had left.

Matt stepped forward as if in a dream, and flipped open a loose panel of the back fence. At the significant look from Sam, he shrugged.

“Even nerds sneak out sometimes,” Matt said, smiling softly. They squeezed through the back fence, only Sam having a bit of difficulty. 

They stood at the back door for a moment, staring at each other. Finally, Sam stepped forward and knocked on the door. 

Pidge held her breath.

Nothing happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im evil i know


	5. Pidge

Sam knocked again. After another moment of silence, Matt stepped up to bang loudly on the door.

Pidge glanced at each of her family members, completely nonplussed. They seemed just as unsure as she did. She pulled out her bayard.

“Should I..?” She asked her father. He hesitated for a short moment.

“Ah, go ahead,” He chuckled. “I should think your mother won’t mind a broken latch under the circumstances.”

The grappling hook glowed green, and one slice later, the door drifted open.

They tiptoed into the living room. Pidge’s heart leaped into her throat. It felt like one false move, and she would wake up back in the castle, no dad, no brother. Nothing. She honestly didn’t know how many more of those dreams she could take.

The front door clicked open. They froze.

The silhouette of Colleen Holt appeared in the doorway. She had a pile of papers and folders in both arms, and a phone pressed against her shoulder and her ear. She was yelling at it.

“We won today, fine. I said I would drag their entire organization to hell, and they aren’t finished yet.” She hissed into the phone. 

“Colleen?” her dad choked out.

The phone fell to the floor. Her mom’s eyes flicked towards the living room. Her face hardened.  
“I know you aren’t really here.” Colleen spat savagely. “Leave me alone.”

Pidge dropped her bayard, leaning into her brother. A tiny, terrible sound escaped her. Matt wrapped an arm around her shoulders. His hands were shaking.

Her dad stepped forward.

"Colleen." he breathed. Pidge clenched the fabric of her brother's jacket.

Her mother turned away and bent down to pick up the cell phone. Pidge could faintly hear a tiny voice through it.

Sam made it there first, and Colleen's hand wrapped around his. She froze. The papers slipped out of her arms. She reached for Sam's face. He leaned into her touch.

She looked back at Matt and Pidge, and Pidge's heart stopped. Somehow, her feet carried her across the room. She dropped like a stone, and she could feel her brother behind her.

Suddenly, she was in her mother's arms. Colleen wrapped herself around her children, and they began to cry. Pidge felt the strong arms of her brother, pressed up against her back, the rough skin of her father's face on her forehead, and the softness of her mother’s embrace and for the first time in too long, everything was finally okay. 

They stayed that way for a long time, no one willing to let go. Colleen sat back, tears in her eyes. And, just like Sam said, brought her shaking hands up to her face, then made a weepy fist pump.

"I just can't believe it," Colleen whispered. "It's been so long."

Her dad wrapped an arm around her, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Pidge smiled weakly. 

"I promised I'd bring them home, didn't I?" She joked. Her mom's face softened, and she brushed Pidge's bangs out of her face.

"You did." 

Matt squeezed their mom's shoulder.

"The universe should know by now, never underestimate a Holt," he smirked. 

"Damn straight," Sam replied. Pidge perked up.

"Mom!" She yelped. "You need to meet Green!" Pidge scrambled to her feet.

Colleen shot her a look she knew well. I know you're excited, but I don't know what you're saying was somehow communicated with a single look.

Sam smiled.

"Trust me, honey. You want to see this." 

Matt helped Sam struggle to his feet, and Pidge pulled her mom's concerning eyes away, and out towards the door. 

Colleen noticed the Green Lion before they left the backyard. 

"What is THAT!" She gasped. Pidge couldn't wipe the grin off of her face.

"Green." 

When they approached the mecha-beast, Green seemed to recognize Colleen immediately. She sent a welcoming feeling towards Pidge, before bowing low and opening her jaws.

Pidge's mom shrieked and jumped backward into the arms of her cackling husband.

"She wants to take us for a ride." Pidge translated.

"Well," Matt quipped. "Like they said in the rebellion, you should never keep a giant mechanical space cat waiting."

"They did not say that" Pidge deadpanned.

"They did!"

"Yeah right."

They dissolved into laughter again, and Pidge knew. She was home.

Inside the lion, her communicator beeped. She scrambled up to the cockpit and pressed speaker.

Hunk’s face appeared. 

“Hey, Pidge.”

“Hey, Hunk. What’s up?”

Loud yelling in some language Pidge was not familiar with crackled in the background. Hunk smiled and turned red. 

“So, uh, y’know how my family owns a restaurant?” Hunk started. “Well, my mom was thinking, since we kinda, saved the universe and all that, that maybe, if we wanted to, like, bring our families together? And have, like, a victory feast.”

“Hunk, if your mom cooks half as good as you do, I’m going to be so excited,” Pidge told him.

In the background, one of the yelling voices screeched.

“Half?’

Hunk laughed heartily. 

“No, no no no.” He smiled. “I cook half as good as my mom.”

Pidge’s mouth watered.

“Hunk, we are so there.”

The big guy shrugged adorably.

“Have you, y’know, found your mom? Cause, I kinda wanted to meet her. And, also, I kinda want my mom to meet you.”

Pidge flushed, before assuring him that, yes, the whole family would come, and yes, she’d love to meet his mom. Hunk smiled contentedly. 

“Okay, awesome. I’m gonna call Lance, see you in a varga?”

“Yep,” Pidge replied. “See ya soon.”

When she pulled off her helmet, her mom and dad were smiling sneakily at her. Matt smirked. 

“I knew it.” he teased. 

“Shut up and get in the lion” Pidge snapped halfheartedly. “Unless you don’t want to taste the best food in the universe?”  
Within seconds, Matt was behind her. Sam and Colleen followed closely. Sam sat in the cockpit chair that Matt used when he flew copilot, while her mom settled herself directly to Pidge’s right.

“So,” Colleen said sweetly. “Who’s Hunk?”

Pidge’s groan could barely be heard over her dad and brother laughing.

Colleen hid a smile. She splayed her hands out onto her skirt and gave herself a light pinch.

She didn’t wake up. It was real. Colleen looked at the family that she had fought to avenge for so long. They were home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #hidge


	6. Hunk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations at the end.

Hunk plopped into the seat of his lion, his fingers moving automatically to boot up Yellow’s controls. 

When he and Yellow had first bonded, the grand majority of controls had been up to her. Hunk had just steered. But, as Hunk grew as a mechanic and a pilot, Yellow had slowly been handing him more and more controls. 

It was crazy, actually. Hunk had been nauseous at the thought of flying with someone else at the helm, but Yellow had guided him into becoming a fairly good pilot in his own right. And, ironically, the only thing that made him want to throw up now is the thought of not flying with Yellow and his team. 

As they blasted out of the hanger, Hunk saw his planet for the first time in nearly a year, and it took his breath away. He stared at the emerald and sapphire mass that used to represent everything he knew. The enormity of what had happened in the past year seemed to smack him in the face.

His chest tightened, and his heartbeat seemed to get louder. He closed his eyes, trying to regulate his breathing, but the blood rushing through his ears seemed to drown out anything else.

Yellow’s presence feels like a gigantic bear hug from his _tamā_. She wrapped her quintessence around his, and he relaxes almost immediately. It feels like he’s home.

A hearty purr rolls through the cockpit, and Hunk realizes that Yellow is laughing at him. 

“I guess I am. Almost.” he mumbled into the empty space.

“What was that, number two?” Coran’s voice buzzed over the comms. 

Hunk started. He hadn’t realized he had opened comms to the Blue Lion.

“Uh, nothing. Sorry.”

Lance whooped as the Blue Lion rushed past, curving gracefully through space. It halted for just a moment, turning towards Hunk.

“You ready, _asere_?” Lance asked gleefully. Hunk smiled, and grabbed the controls of the Yellow Lion.

“Let’s do this!” Hunk bellowed in a mock war cry, and they began to race towards Earth. 

Hunk thanked the Lord for Pidge on a regular basis, but he definitely did every time he activated the Yellow Lion’s cloaking. He was not in the mood to get shot down when he was this close to home.

The Yellow Lion rumbled. She didn’t really appreciate gallows humor. That seemed like more of a Black or Blue Lion thing, judging by Shiro and Lance.

Speaking of, his best friend was speaking a mile a minute, pointing out landmarks as they came into view. Coran occasionally muttered exclamations, seeing to be very interested in the residential areas they flew above

Lance’s monologue became an excited squawk as they came upon River Valley. As kids, him and Hunk had spent hours splashing in the tiny lake that formed the mouth of the the River. It was only a quarter mile away from home.

They ditched the Lions, leaving Coran to guard them and began to run through their own neighborhood.

It was strange, Hunk thought, how, after two years at the Garrison and a year in space, everything seemed familiar and friendly, as if the streets themselves welcomed them home.

He turned on his own street and stopped short.

His parents were outside on the lawn, greeting a white truck that pulled into the driveway. His big brother, Aleki, hopped out of the truck, kissing their mother on the cheek before embracing their father.

The blood rushed back to his head, and he swayed.

His brother opened the car door, guiding his sister-in-law, Anapela, out on the law. Her belly was swollen. Hunk’s mama began to coo over his sister-in-law. 

Hunk was frozen in place. He couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe.

Lance crashed into his back, knocking him out of his stupor. He stumbled. When he looked up, his brother was staring at him. They made eye contact, and Aleki went pale. Ana noticed first, and turned to look as well. At her gasp, his parents finally turned. His mother’s hand flew up to her mouth, and her eyes filled with tears.

Hunk took a step forward, and suddenly he was running towards them. Aleki got to him first. He nearly knocked Hunk over, wrapping him in a bear hug.

“I can’t believe it.” He choked out. “You’re alive.”

He let go, and Hunk found himself buried in his mom’s arms. She was crying. Hunk could barely stop himself from following suit.

His dad hugged them both.

“ _Tsuyoshi, lo'u atalii_ ” His dad mumbled. Hunk squeezed his eyes shut at the sound of his real name. “ _Faafetai i le Atua._ ”

Outside of the group hug, Ana noticed Lance standing a bit away. She recognized him from the pictures Hunk had sent home from the Garrison. And from other, more recent ones. But the nervous, awkward expression on his face looked nothing like the smiling photos at the boys’ funeral.

She approached him slowly. Lance ducked his head.

“I don’t believe we’ve ever met in person.” She offered a hand. “I’m Ana, Aleki’s wife.”

Lance shook her hand., biting his lip nervously. However, Ana’s soft expression seemed to relax him.

“Do you know how my mama is?” He asked softly. “Sofia McClain?” 

Ana pursed her lips.

“I don’t think I’ve met your family.” She turned to her mother-in-law. “ _Tina_ , do you know a Sofia McClain?” 

Lani Garrett looked at her daughter-in-law, puzzled. Until she noticed Lance, shifting from foot to foot. 

“Lance!” she called, rushing over to hug him too. She pulled away after just a moment, face growing solemn. 

“Oh Lance,” she said. “Your family, they moved. Back to Cuba, not long after you... left. Sofia, she,” Lani hesitated. “They didn’t see much point in staying.”

Lance went as pale as Hunk had ever seen.

“I’m going to, uh,” Lance began to stumble over his words and his feet as he walked backwards, towards where they left Coran with the lions.

“Lance.” Hunk’s father’s voice was still thick with emotion. “Do you want to use the house phone?” 

Lance nodded, still reeling. The whole family squeezed inside the house. 

None of Hunk’s family seemed to want to be more than a few feet away from him. Not that Hunk minded, of course. They had a year to make up for. Lance grabbed the house phone before rushing back into Hunk’s room. Aleki settled Ana in the living room, while Hunk’s mom and dad bustled into the kitchen. Which, reminded Hunk of something.

He dug into the big pockets in his cargo pants, pulling out a ratty, bound notebook. The thing had been shot at, drenched, nearly set on fire, and even launched into open space at one point. 

He slapped it down on the kitchen counter, smiling brightly.

“May I present to you,” Hunk began melodramatically. “The semi-complete guide to human-edible food in the known universe.”

His family blinked at him. Hunk realized that he hadn’t explained about the aliens yet.

_Well, this should be fun._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tamā means father in samoan. 
> 
> Asere is a cuban slang term similar to "my man" or "My dude" or even "homie" fun fact, in samoan it means sex.
> 
> Tsuyoshi is Hunk's real name according to the eighties Voltron
> 
> and
> 
> Hunk's dad says "My son, Thank God."
> 
>  
> 
> so i love hunk sooo much. anyone who knows some good hunk centric stuff hit me up cause i love my sassy space engineer


	7. Lance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> its here. *shudders* the _langst_

Lance’s heart pounded as the dial tone beeped.

“ _Familia de McClain, deje un mensaje, por favor, y le devolveremos su llamada tan pronto como sea posible._ ”

Lance’s legs gave out, and he dropped onto the bed. The phone beeped again, and Lance hung up. He stared at the phone, hands shaking. 

The voice in the back of his head hadn’t shown up in nearly a month, but it nudged its way to the front of his brain.

Lance shook his head violently, scrambling to his feet. When he left Hunk’s bedroom, the yellow paladin was excitedly info-dumping about the Balmera. Or, well, a Balmeran.

Hunk gestured widely. “There’s this one named Shay, who I admire very much-”

“Careful,” Lance interrupted him. “Pidge might get jealous.”

The big guy tinted pink. 

“Although, Shay is a wonderful rock.” Lance continued.

Hunk smiled in agreement.

“That was a short call,” Mrs. Garrett ventured gently. “Would you mind telling us what happened?” 

The rest of the Garretts made a valiant effort to keep the concern off of their face.

“They didn’t answer.” Lance shrugged. “I really appreciate it, Mr. and Mrs. Garrett, but I need to go, y’know…”

“Of course.” Mr. Garrett squeezed Hunk’s shoulder.

Hunk hugged Lance tightly. Lance nodded to acknowledge the rest of the Garretts, before heading out the door.

“Hey Lance?” Hunk called.  
Lance hesitated for a moment.

“Yeah?”

His best friend threw his arms in the air victoriously.

“We Lived!” he whooped excitedly. Lance fought back the tears.

“We Lived!” he yelled back, then ran out the door, back towards Blue.

_We lived_. Lance thought bitterly. He sprinted back to the lions, stewing in his own brain. Because, yeah, they lived. It was just that Lance didn’t necessarily think he deserved to.

God, Lance hated himself. 

His parents had worked, worked so _damn_ hard to get visas. Not because they weren’t happy in Cuba, not to make themselves a better life, no. They had done it for their kids, to grow up to be something. Ramira, who became a councilwoman, Rafael, who owned a business now, Manuel, who was the hardest working detective in Los Angeles, and Elisa, who became a nurse and modeled at the same time. And Lance, who was supposed to become a fighter pilot. Instead, he became a failure of a cargo pilot, and then _he abandoned them. Dios_ , he really was garbage. He had left them. Left his family to go for a spin in space, while they gave up what they had worked so hard for. A little voice inside his head disagreed. 

_Are you sure they gave up? You were their big opportunity._ It seemed to snarl. Lance shook his head, trying to dislodge the thought.

It was a well-known trend that anyone who had a family member attending the Garrison got to keep their green card. Fill out the paperwork on time, boom, no sweat. You get to stay another year.

Anyone with a family member working for the Garrison, however, got even better. Fast track to citizenship for the family of every foreign-born officer was provided, courtesy of your friendly neighborhood Galaxy Garrison. 

_Papa is a pretty proud man._ The voice added. _He wouldn’t have told the Garretts if the worst happened._

Lance’s eyes filled with tears as he ran, desperately trying to convince himself that it wasn’t true. His family did not get-

God, he really needed to shut up.

Blue opened her jaws just as Lance came into sight. She seamlessly slipped back into his mind, but hesitated, trying to figure out why her paladin was mentally ripping himself to shreds. When she found her answer, however, she was not happy. She snapped her jaws shut just as Lance reached the ramp.

Lance fell on his butt. He stared at the giant mecha-beast that had been his closest companion for nearly a year.

“What?” he hissed at her closed mouth. Blue bombarded him with memories of the past few minutes, her displeasure seeping through each one.

Honestly, it just made him feel worse.

Then she decided to go even farther. 

Lance had spent hours and hours telling Blue about every member of his family, from his bisabuela to his youngest nephew. She brought those back now, bringing up every memory he had shared of being loved, of making his family proud of him. She overwhelmed him with the flow of memory, until he was forced to stop. And breathe. 

Lance could feel her quiet satisfaction when he finally admitted to himself that he didn’t deserve the abuse he put himself through. Did he fully believe it? No, but he was trying. Must have been enough for Blue, because she finally let him in.

Coran was in the cockpit, utterly bemused. He pulled at the corner of his mustache.

“Any chance you know what just happened there?” he asked. Brightly “The lions don’t typically malfunction, you know.”

“We had a disagreement.” Lance muttered. Coran seemed to notice his foul mood immediately.   
He placed a hand on the younger man’s shoulder.

“Number three, ah, Lance.” Lance’s eyes flicked towards him as he sat into the pilot’s seat and folded his arms. “Did something happen, with your family?”   
The voice in the back of Lance’s head began to laugh, daring him to admit everything. Blue curled around his brain, gently nudging him to do the same, for significantly different reasons.

So, as a screw you to anxiety, and a thank you to Blue, Lance did.

“My family weren’t citizens of this country.” He could feel Coran’s eyes boring into him, and he cringed. “My parents worked really hard to get us here, so we could have opportunities we wouldn’t’ve. Sometime in the past year, they went back home.” 

Lance wanted to stop there, but he knew he shouldn’t. “It might not have been by choice.” 

Coran made a startled noise, pulling his arm back, and Lance hunched into himself. _Keep going._ Blue urged.

“And if it wasn’t by choice, that might be my fault.”

Neither of them moved. A thousand reactions flittered through Lance’s head, none of them good. But Coran simply placed his hand back on Lance’s shoulder.

“I don’t know a lot about this planet, or how things work here.” He started. “But I believe I know you rather well, and I am fully confident that you would never conduct yourself in any way that is less than honorable.”

There was a long pause, and Coran sighed.

“So you’d blame a whole planet...before you’d blame me?” Lance asked hesitantly.

Coran ‘s reply was quick and confident.

“Absolutely.”

Lance rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck before reaching for the controls of the lion.

“Thanks, Coran.”

They launched into the sky, Lance’s and Blue’s quintessence twisting together. She locked into Verdadero Beach, and Coran made a pleased noise. 

“I was hoping to see this beach you cared so much about.” Coran said. He watched the land pass by them, before the beautiful blue of the sea took over the landscape. 

Earth was beautiful, Coran reflected. Nearly as beautiful as Altea, if he was being honest. But Altea didn’t have all this water.

All thoughts of the water being peaceful flitted out of Coran’s mind when they approached a tropic storm, so strong that waves crashed twenty, thirty Earth feet high.

He braced himself, but Lance navigated through it easily. It was incredible, really, how adaptive the Humans were. Lance was nearing Shiro and Keith in skill, and he had neither the advanced education or genetics of either of them. 

Blue beeped to indicate they were close to their destination.

A large island emerged from the horizon. The pale beaches were stunningly beautiful.

“Bienvenidos a Cuba.” Lance’s voice was proud and strong, contrasting with the line of tears running down his face.


	8. Lance

Lance stumbled out of his lion. His boots crunched on the dirt road. It was such a familiar sound. He breathed in the ocean air, sunlight hitting his face.

The weather was perfect and warm. Lance closed his eyes. Trees rustled above him, and he could hear the waves crashing.

Oh, oh how he longed to run to the water, to take off his boots and feel the sand beneath his feet, to dive into the waves and let them crash over him.

But there was something more important first. He turned back to Coran.

“Up for a run?” he asked, smirking. Coran’s eyes widened, but Lance was already off like a shot.

Behind him, the older man made a face.

“I work with children.” he muttered, before getting an idea. He shifted into a Raxorian, a creature known for incredible speed and endurance, before taking off after Lance.

Lance’s feet pounded against the dirt trail. Each step seemed to pound out his worries. He remembered running this exact road as a child, playing and laughing with his older siblings, and eventually, his nieces and nephews.

The McClain house came into view. Lance slowed to a stop. The front yard was empty, but Lance’s mind supplied images of Raol and Maricela tumbling over each other, of Alondra watching over them, while Vincente played with David and baby Clara.

Mama and Ramira, would be in the kitchen, while Papa, Abuela, and Alejandro played cards in the living room, with Elisa snuggling up to Alejandro’s side.

It was something Lance had imagined every night since he left, but this time, he allowed himself to imagine himself in the scene too. Ruffling Raol’s hair before grabbing baby Clara and walking into the kitchen. Hopping on the kitchen counter before Mama shoos him off. Watching as Abuela thoroughly beat Papa and Alejandro at cards for the hundredth time.

Lance’s fingers tightened on the wooden gatepost. The old wood bit into his hand, bringing him back to reality. He vaguely noticed Coran coming up behind him, accompanied with the squishy sound that meant he was shifting.

Lance jiggled the latch then flipped it up, sliding the gate open. It creaked loudly. Lance flinched.

The walk to his door seemed like a dream. He knocked.

“ _¡Ven adentro!_ ” a scratchy voice called. “ _¿Quién es?_ ”

_Abuela._

Lance opened the door. There she was, in the living room. Sitting in her favorite chair, exactly as she always was. For a moment, Lance felt like he had never left.

Abuela squinted at him through her square, wire framed glasses. Her mouth opened slightly, and for the first time Lance had ever seen, she looked lost for words.

“ _Hola, abuela._ ” Lance smiled weakly. “ _He vuelto._ ”

She reached out, and Lance rushed to her. Her bony arms hugged him tightly.

Mama called from the kitchen.

“ _Abuela_! Who is home?”

Abuela found her voice. “Sofia! Come quickly!”

Something in the kitchen clattered.

“What is it, Abuela?”

“ _COME QUICKLY!_ ”

Lance turned around in time to see his mother bustle into the room. She laid eyes on him and froze. Her eyes filled with tears as she took him in.

“Lance?” his mama choked out.

Lance could only nod. Mama’s hand flew to her chest, and she stumbled. Lance rushed across the room to support her. She grabbed his hand, tracing the small scars that ran up and down his fingers.

The front door slammed open. Lance heard the voices first, children laughing, babbling in the way that only kids had energy for.

“Abuela?” a voice asked. “Whose in our house?”

Lance turned around to see Raol peering into the room with a quizzical expression. Behind him, Coran (who, Lance had frankly forgotten was there) shifted awkwardly.

Lance smirked. “What, you get a few inches taller and forget about your favorite tio?”

Raol’s eyes widened.

“LANCE!” he screeched, and flung himself into Lance’s waiting arms.

The chorus of clamoring voices stopped short.

“Lance?”

“Lance!”

“Oh my God, Lance!”

Lance found himself at the bottom of a McClain pile, with Ramira’s three kids piled on top of him. Even 15 year-old Maricela hugged him tightly.

“You’re not dead.” she mumbled against the fabric of his shirt. “They told us you were dead.”

“Yeah, well.” Lance joked. “Since when have I let the Garrison say anything about me?”

Maricela began to laugh, wiping the tears off her cheeks. Raol pulled back.

“But seriously,” he asked. “Whose in our house?”

Mama and Abuela noticed Coran for the first time. The Altean looked extraordinarily uncomfortable.

“Hello, ma’am, my name is Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton the Third.” He introduced himself, bowing slightly.

Lance’s family sent him a series of side glances. Mama was at least trying to appear normal. Abuela and the kids looked like they were five seconds away from saying something rude.

He decided to intervene.

“Okay, this is where it gets weird.” He paused for a moment, then took the leap. “Aliens are real. Coran here is from a planet called Altea, which was about 4,628 light years away from Earth.”

He silence greeted him  
“What?!?” Maricela squeaked.

Lance began to gesture wildly. “Yeah, we met Coran a couple of hours after we disappeared. He’s been, like, our crazy space _tio_ for the past year.”

“I’m not sure if that is a compliment.” Coran mused.

“It is.” Lance looked towards the kids, smiling. “So, for the past year, I’ve been saving the universe as a paladin bonded to a slightly sentient magic space cat ship. Her name is Blue, and I love her.”

“What?!?” That was Abuela.

Coran took over. “What Number Three is trying to say, is that he was selected by the Blue Lion to be a part of a legendary group of warriors with the job of eliminating intergalactic threats and maintaining peace throughout the galaxy.”

They still looked really confused. Raol’s eyebrows furrowed.

“So, you’re a space knight?” he ventured.

Lance nodded. David’s eyes widened.

“THAT’S SO COOL!”

The two boys started firing rapid fire questions, and Lance did his best to answer them. But he could see his mama becoming more and more worried. They settled into the house, and Lance began to tell the tale. Hunk’s dad always said Lance had a talent for oration, and it was obvious as he told his family what he had been up to.

He skimmed over some parts, of course. They didn’t need to know that he almost died (at least three times), and he practically cut Haggar out of the story altogether. Kids didn’t need to know about crazy space witches who sucked out people’s souls and shoved them into machines or ripped people's limbs off and replaced them with soul-sucking prosthetics for funsies. He still hated to think about the look on Shiro’s face when they found that out.

About halfway through the introduction with the Blade of Marmora, his dad came home. There was more crying, more hugs, and an effort to catch him up on what was going on. By then his mama had calmed down enough to realize that they should probably call the rest of the family. So, while Coran entertained the kids with a heavily abridged, one man Voltron Show, Lance went and grabbed the phone.

A series of even more emotional phone calls followed, to Ramira and Manuel and Rafael, and Tia Alondra and Tio Luis. Maricela ran to get his youngest sister, Elisa, while he was on the phone.

She had gotten married just a few months before he had disappeared. Lance had been her man of honor. Her and Alejandro lived only a few blocks away.

When Elisa pulled up to the drive, Lance expected her to burst out of the car, running as fast as she could. Instead, she got out of the car very carefully, holding a small bundle.

Lance went to hug her, but pulled up short as the bundle began to cry. His mouth dropped.

“You,” he stuttered. “You have a kid?”

She nodded, embracing him with one arm. The baby opened his eyes, mewling softly. It couldn’t have been more than a month old.

“Lance,” Elisa said softly. “Meet your _tio_ , Lance.”

Lance felt like he had been slammed in the chest. For a moment, he couldn’t breathe. Then, baby Lance waved his hand, squeezing his fist open and shut.

And it all became worth it. The pain, the loneliness, the struggle to kill and survive suddenly became bearable. Because Lance decided he would do all that, and more, for this little person to live in a universe where he would never have to be afraid.

Coran came careening into the lawn, one kid on his back and two more pulling at him.

“Number Three!” he called frantically. “Could you lend some assistance, _please_!?!”

Lance burst into laughter, and the rest of his family did too. He had spent a year trying to get back to the home he had had before everything. But looking over Coran and his _sobrinos_ , he realized that he had built himself a home. Better than everything he had ever dreamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ven adentro. Quién es? - Come in who is it?
> 
> Hola, abuela. He vuelto. - Hi Grandma, I'm back."
> 
> Tio - uncle
> 
> Sobrinos - nieces and nephews (thanks to F31 for the correction, oops)
> 
> And fin. I had a plan in my head for the get together at Hunk’s place, but my life got really busy really fast, and I don’t think I have time for it now, as much as I want to. So, there may be a sequel eventually. However, thanks so much for all of your support, and I hope you enjoyed.
> 
> If you want to yell about season six with me, hit me up on twitter @somanyfeelings1 or basically everywhere else as averypassionateperson.
> 
> God Bless,

**Author's Note:**

> buy me a kofi?
> 
> http://ko-fi.com/averypassionateperson


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